Austin, Texas Mayor Goes Full 'Jacob Frey' As He 'Updates' on ICE-Involved Shooting

As our RedState colleague Sister Toldjah reported earlier:

A person was reportedly shot and wounded by an immigration enforcement agent in the North Austin neighborhood, per the Austin Statesman, which wrote:

A federal immigration agent shot and wounded a man Sunday in North Austin, according to three state and local officials briefed on the incident. The man was taken to a hospital and was alert and talking, according to the city's communications office.

Even with those scant details and no information on what precipitated the violent exchange, as Toldjah warned, Texas Democrats are already pouncing, and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has belly-flopped right in the middle of it. 

Watson mounted a press conference alongside Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis to "update" and provide "transparency" on the shooting. However, neither Watson nor Davis had much to say about the causes behind the shooting, and they had little information surrounding how or why Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was involved. They admitted as much.

When facts on the ground are lacking, you try to control the narrative. So, Mayor Watson trotted out the usual propaganda and talking points surrounding ICE, as if he were reading straight from the playbook of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Watson stood at the podium to express that he was unhappy and angry about the shooting. Watson said, "A person being shot on the streets of Austin by someone purporting to be law enforcement, particularly when it's ICE, is something that causes me to be unhappy and angry about it."

Watson said he was not surprised, then proceeded to smear ICE as fomenting chaos.

WATCH:

🚨 Democrat Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is ALREADY attacking ICE after a federal agent-involved shooting in North Austin!
Instead of supporting law enforcement, liberals are busy undermining federal agents and shifting blame.
Our brave ICE agents put their lives on the line every…

— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) September 20, 2026

Democrat Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is ALREADY attacking ICE after a federal agent-involved shooting in North Austin!

Instead of supporting law enforcement, liberals are busy undermining federal agents and shifting blame.

Our brave ICE agents put their lives on the line every single day. Stand with law enforcement!

There are accounts floating on social media, furthered by an Austin city councilmember, which alleged ICE first sideswiped the person they were pursuing, then shot the person five times through the back windshield. One reporter threw out this question to Chief Davis, but she denied it, with the caveat: "This is all very preliminary."

"That's not what I'm hearing. I'm hearing that it was out on foot. This is the [problem] with getting in front of the camera too soon without the information," she remarked. "From what I'm hearing, there was a small foot pursuit. But again, this is all very preliminary."

Then why, pray tell, are you speaking about it in the first place?!

WATCH:

🚨 BREAKING: Following an ICE-involved shooting in Austin, the Austin Police Chief is DEBUNKING the left's BS narrative in real time

An Austin City Councilman said ICE sideswiped the subject and then shot him 5 times through the back window

Austin PD calls this FALSE: "That's… pic.twitter.com/INl5eLe0yj

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 20, 2026

From Sister Toldjah's earlier report, we already knew that the person who was shot had been rushed to the hospital and was alive and talking. Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz confirmed that it was one gunshot wound treated, and that the person who was shot is in stable but serious condition.

WATCH:

Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz provides information about the ICE-involved shooting:

"One individual was identified suffering from a gunshot wound. The patient was stable, vital signs were stable, but in serious condition." pic.twitter.com/q7Fe9Tzz7L

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 20, 2026

So, this presser was nothing more than to gin up outrage and produce more unrest (and potential violence) ahead of a midterm election. As of this writing, people are gathered at the location where the shooting occurred to protest. This sounds like chaos the mayor should be on top of. Instead, he is fomenting chaos himself by spouting Leftist talking points and spreading misinformation, which only adds fuel to the fire.

It’s truly unbelievable that the chief of police in Austin, the Mayor of Austin, and the Congressman from Austin are all racing to a camera and a microphone before knowing the details of what happened.

They are calling for the removal of ICE without knowing the details and it…

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) September 20, 2026

It’s truly unbelievable that the chief of police in Austin, the Mayor of Austin, and the Congressman from Austin are all racing to a camera and a microphone before knowing the details of what happened. 

They are calling for the removal of ICE without knowing the details and it is totally irresponsible. 

This type of grandstanding, before knowing the facts, is political partisanship at its worst.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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